This invention relates to non-skid tire chain mounting devices and aids, most particularly to those devices and aids utilizing a means of spacing the tire above the surface upon which the tire had rested.
Tire chain installation heretofore has never been a pleasant task. Typically, tire chains are installed out-of-doors in cold weather and usually when the ground or roadway is covered with ice, snow and quite often slush. It is therefore highly desirable that the installer be able to mount the tire chains quickly. Furthermore, it is highly desirable that the installation require minimum contact between the installer and the ground or roadway.
Existing tire chains and mounting devices require that the installer use both hands simultaneously on the inner side of the tire, and use of both hands dictates that the installer lie upon the ground and reach behind the tire to join end links on the inner side of the tire. Lying on the ground usually results in soiled and sometimes wet clothing and hair. This invention greatly facilitates the task of mounting chains and eliminates the necessity of having the installer lie, or nearly lie, upon the ground during the installation.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,484,714 by Kapp, 2,731,059 by Ford, and 3,870,093 by Driggers present tire chain applying devices which appear to eliminate the aforementioned ground-lying, but they illustrate another problem with all such devices heretofore presented. In order to install the chains, the tire must be rolled either forward or backward a distance equivalent to the circumference of the tire. This can present difficulties when the vehicle to which the tire is attached is in a crowded parking lot with little room to operate, for example a parking lot of a busy ski lodge. In such a situation, the installer invariably interferes with the passage of other vehicles. This invention presents a device which has the further advantages of requiring that the vehicle be moved only a few inches and of not requiring the simultaneous use of both hands on the inner side of the tire.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,937,263 by Hill et al., 4,031,939 by Martini, and 4,103,870 by Murakami present ramp devices which aid in the mounting of tire chains. These devices have the common drawback that the tire chain, in order to be properly installed, must be laid-out on the ground with the middle cross segments of the tire chain positioned in grooves associated with each ramp before the tire can be driven onto the ramp. In other words, the tire must be driven over half of the chain before it is positioned on the ramp. Thus, although the operating distance for these devices is less than that required by the devices discussed in the preceding paragraph, it is still equal to at least one-half the circumference of the tire. As mentioned before, the operating distance required by this invention is only a few inches, approximately six (6) inches. These require use of both hands behind the tire also.
A further drawback of the devices discussed in the preceding paragraph is the fact that the tire chains must be upwardly folded about the tire in order to join the end links. Thus, the installer is opposing gravity when trying to join the end links. This can be quite a problem for individuals who find tire chains heavy and unwieldy. This invention has the further advantage that the tire chains are folded downward around the tire and, thus, gravity aids in the installation of the chains.
Other attributes and advantages of this invention will be readily apparent upon a reading of the text hereinafter.